MHI Vestas Offshore Wind Confirms Wind Turbine Supply For European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre

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MHI Vestas Offshore Wind has confirmed this week that it will be supplying the 11 offshore wind turbines for the 92.4 MW European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre being developed off the coast of Scotland.

Projects of this size normally don’t necessarily warrant individual coverage, given the sheer number of one- and two-digit renewable energy projects being announced each month. However, we have been covering the progress of the European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre for many years, specifically in regards to the legal battle that was required to proceed with its development after Donald Trump (yes, that Donald Trump) attempted to halt its construction because he thought it would spoil the view from his intended golf course and accompanying resort.

eowdc-1

News first arose in the middle of 2011 when Trump explained that he was “very disappointed that Scotland may allow the development of a wind power plant directly off Aberdeen’s beautiful coastline.” Legal battles followed, and in early-2014 Donald Trump lost his (first) legal challenge to the construction of the project. Unsurprisingly, Trump didn’t stop there, and it wasn’t until his case was dismissed in December by the UK’s Supreme Court, the highest court in the country, that development of the Aberdeen Offshore Wind Farm, also now known as the European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre, began.

Since then, development has proceeded rapidly, with offshore works fully underway by March. In July, Vattenfall, one of the two original developers of the project, announced its key suppliers, including MHI Vestas Offshore Wind. Vattenfall also announced a few days later that it had acquired complete ownership of the project, acquiring the remaining 25% share from Aberdeen Renewable Energy Group.

Which leads us to this week, when MHI Vestas Offshore Wind confirmed that it had won the 92.4 MW wind turbine order for the project. The company, the love-child of Vestas Wind Systems A/S and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, will provide 11 of its V164-8.0 MW wind turbines, each of which will be able to generate up to 8.4 MW thanks to specific optimization which utilizes an enhanced power mode.

vestas-offshore-2“MHI Vestas is shaping the future of the offshore wind market with game-changing technologies that spur innovation to drive down the cost of offshore wind power for the whole industry,” said Jens Tommerup, CEO of MHI Vestas Offshore Wind. “Larger and more powerful wind turbines such as the V164-8.0 MW are a key driver of cost reduction. The turbine has an optimised rotor to generator ratio and the use of the 8.4 MW power mode will maximise output and increase value for the customer. We are looking forward to working with Vattenfall on delivering leading technology and services to the EOWDC.”

“Choosing MHI Vestas’ V164 underpins our vision for the EOWDC to be a global-leading hub of innovation,” added Adam Ezzamel, project director for the EOWDC at Vattenfall. “The turbines will be paired with game-changing suction bucket foundations, representing an industry first, and will contribute significantly to reducing operational costs as well as help boost the industry’s drive to competitive clean power.”

Responding to the news, Jenny Hogan, Director of Policy at Scottish Renewables, said: “As a developing industry, offshore wind has huge potential. Innovation is crucial if we are to reduce the cost of the electricity generated by this technology.

“Deploying these cutting-edge turbines in Scotland helps cement the UK’s position as the global leader in the sector, and will help this project make the most of the wind resource in a harbour which has been synonymous with energy since the 1970s.”


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Joshua S Hill

I'm a Christian, a nerd, a geek, and I believe that we're pretty quickly directing planet-Earth into hell in a handbasket! I also write for Fantasy Book Review (.co.uk), and can be found writing articles for a variety of other sites. Check me out at about.me for more.

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